The Leland Grove City Council unanimously approved hiring Kenton Oliver as the new Leland Grove chief of police at a March 24 meeting. The six members of the City Council unanimously voted to terminate the previous police chief, Dan Ryan, retroactively effective Feb. 24. Ryan, whose license was suspended on March 23, is awaiting trial […]
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Illinois Times names CEO
As Illinois Times completes its transition to a nonprofit, Kate McKenzie has been chosen as the organization’s first CEO. McKenzie holds a master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting from University of Illinois Springfield. She worked for Shaw Media publications, where she was editor of the Joliet Herald-News and Morris Herald-News, before taking a job with […]
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County Board votes to table data center proposal
After almost three hours of constituents mostly deriding the idea of a data center in Sangamon County, the County Board voted 15 to 13 to table the CyrusOne project that would occupy more than 280 acres of farmland. More than 700 residents of Sangamon County, and other counties, attended the Sangamon County Board meeting on […]
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Companies could be on the hook for work-related activities before and after shifts start, court rules
Illinois law does not specifically shield companies from having to pay employees for time spent completing required pre- and post-work activities, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled. Although federal regulations exclude that requirement, the court found Illinois’ wage law does not include any similar provisions. That means employers could be required to compensate employees for […]
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Leland Grove police chief’s license to be suspended
Starting March 23, Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan will not be able to drive a motor vehicle while he’s awaiting trial for driving under the influence. At a March 20 court appearance, Ryan’s attorney asked for a continuation of the hearing related to an automatic license suspension, which was granted by Sangamon County Judge […]
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UIS faculty and service workers vote to authorize strike
Members of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Tenure / Tenure Track and Service Workers unions of University of Illinois Springfield held a March 19 rally to coincide with the University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting being held at the UIS Student Union. An official vote was taken among union members prior to the […]
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Logan County takes its time on data center proposal
A recently approved 60-day moratorium on accepting applications for data centers will help Logan County Board members become better informed and thoroughly review any proposals in the future, a board member told Illinois Times. “We could use some more time. This is new,” said board member Michael DeRoss, a Lincoln resident. “There are people on […]
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Limited environmental assessment of data center
After months of hearings and discussions, the Sangamon County Board seems poised to approve plans for the county’s first data center on March 23 despite consistent pushback from constituents. CyrusOne plans to build a data center campus on 280 acres of farmland, which would have more wattage than any other data center the company currently […]
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Illinois governor’s race will be a rematch in 2026
Republican voters in Illinois have once again chosen former state Sen. Darren Bailey as their candidate for governor, giving him a second chance to unseat incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker in November. Bailey, a farmer from southern Illinois and the party’s 2022 nominee, claimed victory Tuesday night in a four-way primary for the GOP nomination, defeating […]
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“Business as usual” at BUNN, for now
When BUNN, in business in Springfield since 1840, announced on March 11 that it had been sold to food service conglomerate Ali Group, the new owner said in its own press release that it would be “business as usual” for its latest acquisition. For BUNN’s roughly 850 Springfield employees, hearing such words was no doubt […]
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A roundup of county election results
Appointed Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch won the Republican primary forsheriff on March 17, fending off an enthusiastic challenge from retired deputy David Timm, while incumbent County Board member Sam Cahnman was defeated in the Democratic primary by political newcomer Miguel Valente. Paula Crouch, 52, a retired former Springfield Police Department lieutenant, credited thesupport of […]
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Voters narrowly approve mental health board
Primary voters approved a referendum March 17 that will levy a 0.5% limited sales tax for a mental health board to distribute an estimated $14.7 million annually to service providers and programs. Nearly 53% of Sangamon County primary voters supported the referendum, which received 17,300 votes. Only about 24% of registered voters, roughly 33,500 people, […]
